Notes on Previous Post

The information in the previous post was tweeted by an entity who is usually spot on when reporting on the current administration. I knew about that “dossier” long BEFORE the election. I knew that it had been compiled by a former spy. I knew that it had been handed off to the FBI. I knew that all had gone silent afterwards.

I’ve learned that most likely the “emails” on Wiener’s computer that prompted Comey to issue a letter during the election were planted by a Russian hacker. There’s a lot more to this one. Can you say corrupt NY FBI (let’s include Giuliani here, too) and collusion with Russia? There’s an article written by an independent that explains exactly what happened in this case.

Trump and Russia/Russian mob are intertwined. The FBI has at least three different investigations going on right now.

Ryan and McConnell are playing a dangerous game. They are using Trump as their decoy while they work with Pence to pass legislation that would disrupt Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. If you’ve been paying attention, you should know that Ryan, in particular, has wanted to disrupt these programs for years. So, those of you in the middle or lower classes do you still believe Republicans are the good guys? They’ve given new meaning to the word hypocrite. Democrats aren’t perfect either but they are also not attempting to dismantle our important social safety nets. I think it’s fair to say that most Republicans are angry, mean, and white. Most, not all.

How do I know so much about what’s actually going on right now?  We’ll, I DO NOT watch mainstream news or fake news. I do read New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Foreign Policy, The Intercept, Buzzfeed, Pro Publica, Slate, Politico, New Yorker and LOTS of independent journalism. In fact, much of the independent stuff I read eventually makes it to main stream. Hence, the dossier. None of these outlets is perfect. But they all have some good information and will keep you informed as to what is really going on. Real investigative journalism seems to have found its legs – a little late, but better than never.

For me, Twitter is what brings much of this together. People criticize this medium all the time, but it’s one of the best ways to stay informed and on top of what’s happening. Despite the Russian bots. Yes, the fucking Russians are everywhere trying to disrupt. What about Facebook? Until Zuckerberg and company find a way to manage the fake news spewed about I don’t have much time for it. It’s not a source I use for information. In fact, I have deleted my Facebook account.

Latest Prediction: Trump will be impeached unless he resigns first. His associates will either sing like canaries or go to jail. Maybe both in some cases. That will stabilize things somewhat. Pence, right now, is in Europe trying to do damage control. It still leaves a right wing holy roller in charge. I say holy roller not to disparage religion but to point out that this man doesn’t really believe the earth is older than 6000 years. That is worriesome. He’s also virulently anti-gay, anti-women’s rights, etc. His governorship in Indiana was a failure. There is chatter that he has also colluded with the enemy. Time will tell. So, the next four years are going to be difficult. I will say that this election has taught me that I never really understood how the African-Americans in this country have felt throughout history. The anger, frustration, helplessness, not being heard, targeted, being arrested for no reason, etc. It’s been a painful lesson and I have a much better understanding now.

And let me set the record straight here. I am atheist. I also believe in freedom of religion. What I don’t believe is that those who hold a particular religious belief should be allowed to legislate it. Period. Theocracy does not work. I respect your right to believe, to practice your religion. Respect my right to abstain.

Ciao.

A Question and Answer

From Tumblr:

What do you think about Bernie still standing and fighting for what he believes whilst Hillary has seemingly vanished from the face of the earth?Anonymous

danieljlayton:

1) Bernard is a sitting senator. He doesn’t get extra plaudits for doing his job.

2) Hillary has been front and centre in politics for 30 years. As a lawyer, as First Lady of Arkansas and then the country, as New York senator and as SecState. From April 2015, she WAS the front line against Trump and all he stood for. She was out there every single day for a year and a half offering a viable, experienced, informed, dedicated and – yes – progressive alternative to Trump. When you ask the question “What was this person doing to fight Trump?”, Hillary Rodham Clinton was standing up and saying “PICK ME. I’M 69 AND I WILL FORGO A CALM AND HAPPY RETIREMENT IN ORDER TO SPEND EVERY DAY OF HOPEFULLY THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS OF MY LIFE FIGHTING FOR YOU AGAINST THIS KIND OF BULLSHIT. PICK ME. I’M READY. I’M WILLING. PLEASE.”

And what did she get for it? The same patronising, sexist bullshit she got the 30 years prior. A primary opponent who falsely introduced an entire generation to her as ‘The Goldman Sachs Lady’. A legion of “concerned liberals” in key swing states voting for Jill Fucking Stein in numbers that made up the vote-difference and more. Twitter Eggs and Facebook Bros saying “She’s just as bad if not worse than Trump.” WORSE THAN TRUMP. SERIOUSLY. And that wasn’t enough. As a final slap in the face, despite winning 3 million more votes than THAT opponent, despite being educated and capable and experienced and diligent and caring and ready, she was denied the office she respected so deeply, (in contrast to the coward who sits in it now), denied the opportunity to serve the country she was willing to sacrifice her Golden Years for on a technicality, through an arcane, archaic system. And just to make sure she wasn’t allowed to end this farce with even the faintest shred of dignity, faithless electors stripped her of electoral college votes she DID win, instead voting for the male primary opponent she FAIRLY beat by every democratic metric, a woman who didn’t even run for President, and a Republican. Oh, and then be told “Bernie would have won.”

If Hillary had been elected, Bernard wouldn’t HAVE to be “still standing and fighting.” Sure, he’d be working. He’d be doing his damn job. He’d be making sure the progressive wing of the Democratic party was heard.
But would President Hillary Clinton have signed a Muslim ban? Would President Hillary Clinton have moved to repeal the ACA on day one? Would President Hillary Clinton have appointed an Education Secretary who literally hasn’t got the first clue about the education system? Would President Hillary Clinton have picked an Attorney General who actively tried to withhold voting rights from Black America? Would President Hillary Clinton have named to her inner circle, and to high-ranking governmental positions, people with strong, evidential ties to hostile foreign powers? The answer to those questions and more would be a resounding “HELL FUCKING NO.” But she was never given the opportunity to prove that. Because she gave a few speeches. And because she sent a few emails. And because her husband was the figurehead of a charitable foundation.

So if, as a private citizen, Hillary wants to walk her dogs in the woods for a bit, so she should. Lord knows she earned it. She played her part, and she was burned for it. She deserved better than the vitriol to which she was subjected in the election, and she deserves better than the scorn with which she’s now treated by people who chose not to tick the box because they wanted to cling to their vain, ill-measured notion of ideological purity. She’s not the one who should be paying the price for the fucking godawful cock up swing state voters made.

Thank you SO much for asking what I’m sure you intended to be a purely innocuous question, and my apologies that you got the brunt of my intense frustration – I’ve been holding that inside for rather a long time. It feels good to get it out.

Oh. One final thing. Please might I direct your attention to Hillary’s twitter feed – I think you’ll find she’s far from ‘vanished’.

1951 Weight Loss Plan


And then came along Ancil Keys. What a mess. If you’re overweight and/or suffer from metabolic syndrome stop eating the Standard American Diet (SAD). This diet is making us sick. Forget calories in/calories out. Forget exercising 2 hours a day. Don’t get me wrong – exercise is great for a lot of things but losing weight is not one of those things. A good book that explains what’s going on is called “The Obesity Code” by Jason Fung. Read it. You can thank me later.

Ciao.